these are the days that must happen to you

Even before I was a photographer, I was a traveler. From roadtrips across states, to backpacking Europe, to sailing in Greece, this was how and when I felt most myself. To me, the most beautiul things are when the senses are engaged; sights, sounds, and tastes that draw you in at every new destination. I enjoy the unexpected and often find myself intentionally getting lost just to discover what was down that country dirt road. It is this same sense of wonder that led me to the field of photography. Traveling with a camera heightened the experiences and allowed me to connect with the people and places I was discovering in a more intimate way. The inspiring souls I meet on this journey, fuel my desire to create.

"These are the days that must happen to you", is a line from the Walt Whitman poem, Song of the Open Road. The celebration of time and place are present within its verses, as well as the challenge to discover more outside the confines of ink and pater. To him, the road represents a communal place where people from all walks of life come together to share a path of discovery. The road also signifies mobility, allowing one to travel to new places, spaces, states of mind and land. These nine words have become my mantra and as a result, I find myself en route quite often.

Blue Bus / Boulder, CO

11.12.12

When I find myself on the road, I like to make it a point to share a meal with friends who live in the cities that I travel through. It was a sunny day in early May, when I met Amie and her blue bus downtown Denver, Colorado. A month earlier, when I found out I would be on tour with the bands Greylag and Augustana during the spring, we had made a plan to converge on this day, in this city. My longtime best friend, Amie Phillips, a talented Denver painter, had recently purchased a refurbished Schoolbus to use as her traveling studio. It was complete with a woodburning stove, vintage couch, succulents, and an amazing backend kitchen. She had been hosting intimate dinner parties in the bus over the short time she had owned it and these were getting rave reviews. Inspired by what I had already seen and heard, I wanted to share in this magic! The plan was to gather a group of likeminded friends who had been disconnected due to various travel schedules and projects over the winter months. Being a freelancing artist, it is hard to find a moment when all my friends are in the same place at the same time. However, there are those magical singular days, or a week here or there when the stars align and all can gather to be together. This was such a day.

The morning of the meal, we loaded a table and chairs, loaves of homemade bread, and handmade wooden serving platters into the blue bus. From there the journey up into the mountains began. As we drove the bus through the city of Denver, my excitement for what we were creating began to escalate. With windows down, hair blowing, bouncing along on the floral vintage couch through the mountains, I could not have been more joyful!

Arriving at the flatirons in Boulder, we found a spot to park the bus that allowed us to cook the meal with a view. A worn dirt path led into the foothills and we carried dinnerware, blankets, and a long wooden tabletop that we set upon stones. As the sky turned pink, friends started to arrive with dishes of homemade ravioli, fresh vegetables, salads and a coconut carrot cake. Our party was one of many talents, including painters, chefs, musicians and photographers. The bus had brought us out into the mountains and under the stars to share stories of our recent, current, and future travels. For this one night, we were all here together. It was calm, the food was filling, but mostly, it was an evening of rejuvenation, to rest and be fed, to share with others who understood the unpredictability of a career as an artist. How this kind of lifestyle can leave you feeling disconnected from a routine or place or people. This is why the bus felt so significant, familiar and like home. It was a symbol of movement, while providing a stationary place to cook, dine, converse, and commune.

After the food had disappeared, instruments appeared in its place. Voices chimed in and feet began to dance. Michael Gungor replaced guitar with the spoons, while Lisa did a jig by candlelight. The melodies were mesmerizing, sung a capella in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Later on that night, as we sat inside the bus by the woodburning stove, sipping whiskey to banjo tunes and snacking on leftover cake, another bus pulled up in front of us. On the way to their next venue, the Greylag boys had driven to find us and join the conclusion of our meal. It was truly a joyful moment of reuniting with best friends, hearing more travels of the road, more music, more love, more sharing. The power of connection and the beauty of belonging, inspire me to keep creating, resting and moving, en route through the mountains.

terrence Gooden - I am a HUGE Gungor fan!! And I have been a lover of your photography for a few years now. Seeing those two things together on this post makes my heart explode! I really needed that today. My 96 year old grandmother just passed this morning and I've been thinking heavily about the impact she made on me and how much I need to be living out what she invested in me. I might not live to 96 but I want to live a good story now and impact people just as much as she did! And that means I need to stop just dreaming of enjoying meals and fellowship like what is seen in these photos. I need to really do the things I dream about so I can live out the things I love most about your picutres. You have an amazing gift! I'm thankful to God that you share with the world!November 13, 2012 - 1:28 pm

la domestique - You've captured so many wonderful moments here with the camera- and this is where I live! It's like seeing the place with new eyes, very inspiring. The blue bus is great too.November 13, 2012 - 1:56 pm

Emily Collins - That Amie Phillips never seizes to amaze me. You two beautiful souls together making beautiful things. Maybe one day we will all rendezvous together. xoxoJanuary 4, 2013 - 11:45 am

Franciska - Hey Dear lauradart
i really like your pictures ! they are so amazing!!
exactly those boots, where i can find? (or buy from internet?Ö
thank you for your answer
FranciskaJanuary 23, 2013 - 5:26 pm

rebecca caridad - wow. I am a photographer in Boulder, CO and sometimes I get so tired of seeing photo shoots in front of the flatirons. But, lady you really brought out the magic of this place! Makes feel silly for ever taking it for granted. These are just lovely.February 20, 2013 - 2:40 pm

Natalie Ross - This is beautiful. Do you have more pictures inside the bus? It's always been my dream to convert a school bus, and this one looks amazing.
Thanks!February 21, 2013 - 1:39 pm